Button loop



'Feb.7,'1939. j c, E, ANDERSON 2,146,496 I BUTTON LOOP Filed April. 22, 1937 I e9 INVENTOR: M&.W

Patented Feb. 7, 1939 Carl E. Anderson, East Orange, N. J., assignor to Eastern Tool & Mfg. 00., Bloomfield, N. J.

Application April 22,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a button loop such as used on overalls and is designed to provide a loop that has a button engaging part with a separable pair of arms that are resilient and thus hold a button when the parts are slack as is often the case in apparel.

The invention is designed to provide a button loop that comprises a Wire part with ends placed in a clip that holds the ends but allows a limited movement and which clip is so constructed that it provides a firm grasping means on the wire under maximum strain. The parts are formed to more firmly hold the parts together under strong tension than in the former loops of this type. The invention also relates to certain details of construction which will'be more fully described hereinafter and finally embodied in the claim.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany- 20 ing drawing. In said drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of a button loop embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a side view of the button loop shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a bottom view of the button loop shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 in Figure 2 and showing the button-engaging arms spread apart. Figure 5 is a plan of the blank from which the clip is made. Figures 6 and 7 are end views of modified forms of clips with the wire shown in sec-- tion.

The button loop comprises a form of body portion which has resilient separable side arms which allow the insertion of a button and by spring action prevent its accidental removal. 33 The form shown comprises a wire bent to form a top bar ||l over which is placed the denim or other strap of an overall, the wire then being formed into return bends II and into side arms l2 and I3 which are usually curved outwardly to form an enlarged opening through which the button is passed, this opening being represented at M, the lower part being restricted where the arms l2 and I3 are closer together as at I5 and H5. The wire arms then diverge as at I! and I8 and are then bent inwardly toward each other as at H! and 20, these ends l9 and 20 being substantially aligned and having their tips 2| and 22 bent downwardly. The wire employed inthis form is spring-wire and has a natural tendency to return to its normal shape when released from the strain which strain is due to passing the shank of a button through the restricted portion at l5 and I6 when the button is snapped into place between the divergent parts l1 and |8 of the arms l2 and I3.

1937, Serial No. 138,298

The ends of the wire shown at I9 and are held in a clip 23, the blank of which is shown in Figure 5. This blank is made of sheet metal and is folded down to form side walls 24 and 25 which are of a size sufiicient to guide the ends of the tips 2| and 22 but loose enough to allow these tips to freely slide within the clip. At each end of the clip the metal is formed by means of wings 26 into sleeves 21 which sleeves envelope the ends I9 and 20 of the wire and limit the outward movement of said ends by engaging the tips 2| and 22 as shown in Figure 4. These sleeves in the preferred form have their closure or seam out of line with the arms. For instance, as shown in Figure 2, where the sleeve has its end 28 folded under the bottom edge of the sleeve on the opposite side. This form is held against a tendency to open outwardly under maximum strain by reason ofits being to one side of the wire and in addition to this I bend the tips 2| and 22 outwardly as well as downwardly these ends then acting as levers or hooks with a tendency to close the sleeves instead of opening them.

Other forms of sleeves are shown in Figures 6 and 7, in one case the sleeve having one portion 29 abutting against the opposite wall 30 and in Figure '7 showing the circular sleeve with the joints 32 out of line with the centre of the arm, so that the influence of the tips 2| and 22 will be toward closing the sleeves rather than forcing them apart.

In addition to these'other safeguards, the inner edges 3| of the sleeves are preferably inclined to cause the tips 2| and 22 to press away or to the side opposite the juncture of the sleeves, providing a slight cam action to give the wires a tendency to ride away from the joint in the sleeves when under maximum strain. This form overcomes the prior loops in which the sheet metal clip had the sleeve portions formed the same on both sides of the blank which places the seam of the sleeve directly in the centre and it is found that under maximum strain, repeatedly applied, the round wire acting inside of a round sleeve and with its hooked portion on the end, slowly causes the separation of the sides of the sleeve and once initiated, such opening soon provides sufficient leverage for the wire to break through and open up the sleeve entirely after which, of course, the loop is useless.

The present form overcomes these objectionable features and provides a more sturdy, satisfactory clip without material addition to the weight of heavier gauge metal.

I claim:

A button loop comprising a wire having resilient arms spaced to receive a button and having a restricted portion near the bottom with divergent side members terminating in inwardly directed ends having downwardly directed tips, and a clip body comprising laterally spaced side walls and longitudinally spaced wings, said wings on one side wall extending in the direction of the other side wall for loosely embracing said inwardly directed ends of said loop, the opposed edges of said spaced wings providing faces for engaging said downwardly directed tips for limiting the movement of said inwardly directed ends, said opposed edges being inclined outwardly from the ends of said wings to direct said tips away from the ends of said wings.

CARL E. ANDERSON. 

